Brewers history: Rookie pitcher dazzles with elite changeup in MLB Debut

Jacob Misiorowski was the rookie pitcher that garnered most of the Milwaukee Brewers' headlines in 2025, but he wasn't the first to debut. In fact, he wasn't even among the first two. The first to debut was Chad Patrick, who surprisingly earned a spot on Milwaukee's 2025 Opening Day roster. A few weeks later, on April 20, 2025, it was fellow rookie right-hander Logan Henderson, who befuddled the Athletics in his MLB debut en route to six innings of one-run ball.

That electric start, which also featured nine strikeouts and just three hits, came one year ago today. Much has changed since then, though Henderson remains in Triple-A at the moment, waiting for his next opportunity to impress the coaching staff in Milwaukee.

On the first anniversary of his brilliant debut, let's reassess his standing with the team and what his future with the Brewers might hold.

Logan Henderson's future remains bright despite limited action since MLB debut

Henderson has been up and down with the MLB team since that debut, totaling just 25.1 innings last year (which means that his rookie status is still intact). He made a brief appearance as part of the April 4 doubleheader against the Royals, but lingering elbow soreness has slowed him down since the end of last season.

If he can get and remain fully healthy, the potential for a frontline starter is plain to see. The 24-year-old rode his signature fastball-changeup combination to a 1.78 ERA and 3.02 FIP in his limited big-league action last year, piling up a gaudy 33.3% strikeout rate along the way. Those two offerings accounted for nearly 90% of all the pitches he threw with the Brewers last year.

And, to be clear, that usage rate made sense; both pitches held opposing hitters below the Mendoza line and yielded whiff rates above 28%. The problem is that you can't really succeed at the MLB level as a starting pitcher with only two pitches.

Hence, Henderson worked this offseason to reincorporate a curveball into his pitch mix. We haven't seen that offering quite yet in the big leagues -- and he's actually gone back to his slider in Triple-A -- but the potential for a wipeout arsenal is in play.

That's especially true if he can get his reshaped cutter to catch up with the rest of the program. It's been his weakest offering in Nashville this year by Stuff+ models (73), but like his sporadic use of the curveball, that may be a side effect from his elbow troubles.

No matter how Henderson puts all of these pieces together, the whole puzzle should look like a stroke of genius when all is said and done. We may need to exercise a bit more patience until that time comes, but the dream of pairing him with Misiorowski atop the rotation for the next half-decade is too tantalizing to give up on.

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